Category: Weeknotes

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I spent some time futzing around with Observable Plot this week. While I didn’t get very far on what I wanted to do, I managed to clean up a (simple) chart I use all the time. Perhaps a tutorial is in order for me.

Months ago, a good friend asked how our jam sessions sound. I sent him a recording from January. Feedback was neither solicited or received. However, when I didn’t even get a “I listened to it…” I just assumed we sucked even worse than I thought and forgot about it.

Fast forward to this week: I don’t remember how it came up, but he said “Hey, I listen to that recording of you guys all the time.” He mentioned a couple songs that he thought “really rocked”. Yes, I think he’s being at least somewhat generous, and no he doesn’t seem to have suffered from any hearing loss recently.

That interaction inspired me to record this week’s jam session to see if there’s been any improvement. We’ve added another guitarist and a couple new songs since the first recording. After listening through everything, I have some notes on what I need to work on. We still sound rough, but we are improving.

This meant I spent some quality time mixing this weekend–something I know almost nothing about. But, I’m learning and getting more comfortable using the Reaper Digital Audio Workstation–totally worth the $60 for a personal license, by the way. I also took some notes on how we might be able to improve our recording via Jamulus next time around. Among other things, separating the vocal and instrument tracks will make for a better mix.

Here’s one sample track from the session. I have a lot of work to do when it comes to singing backup and playing even a simple bass part. Much respect for for those who make it look easy (Mike Mills, Sting just to name two).

Heroes (David Bowie cover) recorded from a Jamulus session on 31 Aug, 2024.

Links

Politics

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Screenshot of track on an electronic nautical chart showing Sheepshead Bay, Rockaway Point, and Western Jamaica Bay in New York City.

Finally got a sail in this week. Despite the near perfect conditions, we took absolutely no pictures. So, this track on the chart will need to memorialize this one.

We met some friends at Industry City this weekend. Hadn’t been in quite a while. There’s a lot more to do and see now than there used to be. I kind of wish my office was there rather than downtown.

Links

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Two long-distance swimmers in the water near the Coney Island Pier celebrate their finish of the 2024 Rose Pitonof Swim. Also pictured, an orange, triangular buoy printed with the words "Urban Swim".

We blew past “mid-August” this week and the “unofficial end of the summer” (here in the US) is just a couple weeks away. I mention this because my sailing season has been almost non-existent this year. I’ve spent more time on powerboats than sailboats–I may be close to losing my sailor cred altogether.

At least I spent a day on the water Saturday shooting photos for the 2024 edition of the Rose Pitonof Swim (instagram link). The photo here shows two of swimmers on the relay team I was with at the finish near Coney Island. I’ve been on few of the Rose swims, including the inaugural one. This was the toughest I’ve witnesses. The swimmers were faced with a fair amount of chop and spent the last couple hours swimming against both the current and wind. They all did an amazing job. Shout out to the kayakers who spent time roughing it in the breakers at the end.

Takeaways from this week: Make it a point to get a few sails in before this season is over, and shoot more often.

Links

The political is separated from the rest of the links this week–easier to skip. Although, all voters should probably watch that Robert Reich video.

Political Links

This video (link) from Robert Reich highlights some of the more egregious schemes in Project 2025.

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We visited friends in the country this weekend–it was lovely. Our time there made me realize how much I dislike riding in cars–perhaps as much as I imagine many loathe public transit.

This also made me think about my general transportation preferences. Here they are, ranked:

  1. Walking
  2. Cycling*
  3. Subway/Metro
  4. Tram**
  5. Boat
  6. Train
  7. Taxi
  8. Bus
  9. Car–driven by me
  10. Airplane
  11. Car–driven by most other (non-professional) people

Those last two really are in a tie for dead last in my book. But, sometimes you just have to grin and bear it.

* I rarely cycle these days, but I liked it when I did
** We don’t have trams in NYC, if we did, I’d rank them about equal to the subway

Links

Mostly political this week, sorry…

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vote. Just this time. You won’t have to do it anymore. Four more years, you know what: it’ll be fixed, it’ll be fine…. In four years, you don’t have to vote again, we’ll have it fixed so good you’re not going to have to vote.

– Donald Trump 26 Jul, 2024

He plans to fix it real good. Let’s make sure he doesn’t get the chance to “fix” anything. Check out the voting links below and make sure you’re registered. Especially if you’re in a swing state.

Links